Quarter-saver for circular spring-needle knitting-machines.



D. F. SULLIVAN.

QUARTER SAVER FOR CIRCULAR SPRING NEEDLE KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.11, 1912.

1,064,868, Patented June 17, 1913.

WITNESSES.-

' INVE TOR.

V. /V 5?. W ffi dflw BY alg 46 A. 1 ORNEY.

-UNITED STATES PATENTQFFICE.

DANIEL F. SULLIVAN, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS T0 JOHN J. SULLIVAN, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, AND THOlriAS ADDISON COL- LINS, OF LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS.

QUARTER-SAVER FGR CIRCULAR SPRING-NEEDLE KNITTING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patenteil'inno17,1913.

Application filed December IL 1912. Serial No 736,069.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL F. SULLWAN, a citizen of the United States, residingat Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have in vented a certain new and useful Improvement in Quarter- Savers for Circular Spring-Needle Knitting-Machinos, of which the following is a specification.

This'invention relates to quarter savers or devices which in a circular spring needle knitting-machine prevents the fabric from running off when the yarn breaks or bc comes exhausted.

. lVhen-a yarn in a multiple feed machine of the kind referred to breaks and the machine continues to run, the cloth will run off from theneedles, and the yarns of the other feeds will continueto enter the needles and be crowded under the beards of the needles, the wheels breaking the boards and breaking and bending the needles and doing considerable damage. llut if the resser-wheel of the feed to which the broken yarn belongs 15 immediately drawn out of engagement with the needlespthe machine will continue to knit the fabric properly but with a production decreased by the ratio which one disabled feed bears to the whole number of feeds in the machine. 7

The object of this invention is to throw the presser out of engagement with the needles instantly upon the breaking of the yarn.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a plan of so much of a circular springnecdle l([1ltlll'igl'lltl(;lllil0, with my improve mont, as is necessary to the understanding of said improvement; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3, a plan of a part of the ncedlecylinder, a part of the presserdisengaging lever; Fig. 4,an outcrend elevation of the device; Fig. 5, an ci'ilarged plan of the yarnsupports and the outer end of the drop-wire.

The bed A or table; the cylinder B, rotary about a vertical axis; spring necdlcs C; slitclrwhcel D; its stand (Z; the yarn guide at; the prcsser-wheel if] and its stand or these parts are all of the usual construction and operation except. as lnwreinafti-zr stated.

The prcsseruvhecl turns upon a vertical stud 0' having an annular shoulder a and secured to a horiz ntal indle c which slides in a stand (1, ant prrsscd by a spring 6 radially toward the cylinder B and is limited in its movement toward said cylinder by a nut a and check nut 0 turning on the outer end of said spindle in the usual manner. The height of the presscrwheel is varied by raising the stud c in the spindle to accommodate the differentlengths of needles and said stud when adjusted is held by a set-screw c (Fig. 4) which turns in the spindle against said stud, as usual.

I provide the ru'isser-ivheel with one or more rigid p'ins c or projections which extend upward from the top thereof, and I make a central opening (1 in the stud c. A. vertical rock-shaft F passes up through this opening and is provided at its lower end with an arm f, the outer end of which is arranged and adapted to be swung against the needle-cylinder and to be carried by friction therewith until said arm f reaches and passes slightly a position radial to said cylinder crowding the spindle outward and moving the pres. .\'ll(?\'3l out of engagement with the needles, .10 that the beards of the needles will remain open and the fabric cannot be raised oil from. the needles. other arm f is adjustably secured to the upper end of the shaft 1*, said arm f being represented as having a hub f" which surrounds the stud and is retained, in place by a set-screw f and prevents the shaft 1 from dropping out of the stud A spiral spring: f surrounds the shaft F above the stud (1' and prevents the hub f" from resting upon and beinn turned by friction on the top of the pressur-whei-l and holds the lower arm f against the lower end of said stud a with sull'ucient friction to preventsaid shalt from being jarred or accidentally turned.

The outer end ol the arm j is represented as bent downward all j, and as having journulerl in its l()\\'tl' l i'oi rud a latch-lever G arranged about radially to{he1u'csscr-uliovl, and normally out of the path ol' the piusilfliho outer arm ol' said latch-lover being heavier than the inner arm thereof for this purpose. 'lhe arm and hitch-lever are arranged at such an angle to oar-h other that when the latch leuzr is out ol' the path ol' the pins 0", the (Hilll' end of llit arm almost in contact with the nerdloc linden A bracket is l'ornuwl in iuo parts ll ll.

which allows the upper part of said brackets to be adjusted vertically when necessary.

The upper part H of the bracket has an a circular spring-needle knitting-machine,

upward projection h which limits the turning of the.rock shaft F in one direction and the distance to which the lower arm f of said shaft may' he swung away from the cylinder after the relative positions of the arms of said shaft have been properly adjusted and set by the screw f.

The upper part H of said stand also supports or, preferably, has formed'integrally therewith a tubular bearing I thropgh which extends the body or shaft of a drop-wire K. The drop-wirerK has a straight middle part within the sleeve or hearing I and two oppositely extending armsk In, one of which reaches past the stop h under the outer arm ofthe latch-lever G and the other k of which is longer and heavy enough when unsupported to rock the drop-wire and raise the arm is and lift the outer arm of the latch-lever G, causing the inner arm of said latch to enter the path of the pins 0.

When the latch G is engaged by onset the pins 6 it is carried along with said presser turning the shaft F and. causing the arm 1 to enga e the cylindr, and the prcsser-wheel to e crowded away from the needles.

()rdmarily the drop-wire proper or arm la is supported by the yarn in a nearly horizontal position and the arm is is held out of contact with the latch.

The unbroken yarn is supported on one side of the drop-wire pro erby a loop d as of Wire, and on the other by astraight wire d, these supports being rigidly secured in the yarn-guide. Y

'When the presser-wheel is moved away from the cylinder a space is opened between the nut e and the end of the sleeve-bearing e of the spindle and I providc a retainer L which drops or springs into this space and prevents the prcsser-wheel from being thrown by the spring e into engagement with the needles, this retainer being represented as a spring-arm secured to the bearing I and reaching over the groove between the reduced contiguous ends of the bearing 6 and nut e".

I claim as m invention 1. The combination with thecylinder of its needles, a resser-wheel, normally in engagement with said needle, a yielding support for said presser-wheel, a drop-wire normally sustained by an unbroken yarn, and a rock-shaft journaled in said movable support and having-arms, means for engaging said presser-wheel and one of said arms with each other, the other of said arms being adapted to engage said cylinder and to crowd said presser-wheel away from said needles. I

2. The combination of the needle-cylinder, needles, a yielding (5 indie, a vertical hollow stand supporte 7 thereby, a presserwheel turning'thei'eon and having pins, a rock-shaft journaled in said hollow spindle and having arms above" and below said presser-wheel, the up er of said'arms carrying a latch normal y out of the path of said pins, a dro -wire sustained by an unbroken arn, an moving said latch into the path 0 said pins when said. arn breaks or is exhausted, to rock said 5 aft and to bring the lower arm of said rock-shaft into engagement with said 0 linden I I 3. The combination 0 a spindle, a hollow stud, a rock-shaft journaled therein and having an arm at each end thereof, a

turning of the some.

In witness whereof, I have aflixed my signature in presence of two w1tnesses.

' DANIEL r. SULLIVAN.

Witnesses Annnn'r M. Moons, EARL A. TmssELL.

to create a. friction on said shaft and prevent the accidental 

